UAPB’s new volleyball coach set for big year
Even though the calendar on her desk says it’s only May, Gabrielle Floyd is already anticipating the start of summer volleyball workouts for her UAPB Lady Lions in August.
Floyd was recently named the eighth head coach in the school’s history after a brief one-year stop at fellow SWAC member Texas Southern University. Before her promotion to the head job, she served as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for a decade.
During her tenure, the Tigers collected three SWAC Western Division championship titles. And Floyd played a big role in guiding a pair of athletes to All-SWAC status with Danielle Lilley (2021 SWAC Preseason Volleyball Second Team) and Thalia Cordero Moreno were both named to the 2021 All-SWAC First Team.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Floyd and her family to UAPB,” Athletic Director Chris Robinson said. “She is a dynamic teacher and recruiter and has a great vision for UAPB volleyball. She has a true passion for the game and is known for her work ethic, competitive spirit and commitment to creating a positive student-athlete experience.”
Floyd officially took the reins of the Texas Southern program in the middle of the covid-19 pandemic in June 2020 and successfully navigated the team through the challenges of managing a program during uncertain times.
Not only did she impact the Lady Tigers on the court, but Floyd was also recognized for her team’s overall performance in the classroom. The Texas Southern volleyball team easily maintained a minimum 3.0 team GPA in her lone season with the Lady Tigers. As a direct result of her players’ tireless work in the classroom, Floyd was presented with an American Volleyball Coaches Association academic award. The Tigers also went on to clinch a SWAC Tournament berth in that historic pandemic season.
A Missouri City, Texas, native, Floyd was a former two-sport athlete at Texas Southern, excelling in volleyball and tennis. She was named to the All-SWAC Preseason First Team and was named co-captain in her senior season.
As a player, Floyd led the Ti
gers to a divisional championship and top seed in the SWAC Tournament as she ranked third on the team in kills (213) while finishing tied for third in the SWAC in digs (270).
The a c - colades began to come her way rather quickly as a student-athlete because of her on-court production that season, when she would earn SWAC Player of the Week honors and was selected to the All-SWAC second team.
In addition, she collected SWAC All-Tournament honors that same season. In 2000, Floyd finished with 228 digs and was second on the team as a sophomore in 1999 with 222 digs while amassing 135 kills in 97 games and 21 aces. Floyd capped off her storied collegiate volleyball career by earning a Most Valuable Player trophy in addition to several other prestigious All-Tournament awards.
Floyd graduated in 2002 from Texas Southern with a bachelor’s degree in public affairs to go along with a master’s degree in health education.
From there, Floyd served as the graduate assistant for three seasons at her alma mater before being promoted to assistant coaching duties in 2005. As an assistant coach, Floyd oversaw the progression of the volleyball program during her tenure. In 2013, she helped lead TSU to its first winning season since 2001 while also winning three SWAC West titles, along with a pair of appearances in the SWAC Tournament Championship match. A host of student-athletes have garnered All-SWAC honors under Floyd’s guidance.
For the past decade, Floyd has been a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association and the Assistant Coaches Committee – the latter as the SWAC representative. She also worked as a full-time professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology & Sport Studies and has served on several committees within the department and for the College of Education.
“I am excited to begin this journey as the new head volleyball coach. I want to build a program that the UAPB community would be proud of,” Floyd said. “We have a great group of student-athletes that are ready to be champions on the court, in the classroom and in life. I look forward to building relationships with the UAPB community, alumni, faculty, staff and students to help make our dreams a reality.”
UAPB finished 18-16 and 133 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference this past season under former head coach Chelsey Lucas, who spent two years at the helm and who left UAPB to become head coach at Grambling State University.
The Lady Lions advanced to the SWAC tournament final, where they lost in five sets to regular season champion Florida A&M.